“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” is delivering ratings growth during a week of special midnight start times following late local news and NBC’s coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics, with Thursday’s telecast generating the show’s biggest adult 18-49 rating and overall audience since Monday’s series premiere.

While ratings drop-offs are common through late-night premiere weeks, Fallon has generated growth through the last two nights in adults 18-49. Thursday’s 2.6 rating is up 8% versus the 2.4 for Wednesday night and up 13% versus the 2.3 for the night before that, making it the show’s highest rating since Monday’s 3.8.

Thursday’s 7.688 million viewers is up 6% versus Wednesday’s 7.274 million and is “Tonight’s” biggest audience since the 11.314 million for Monday’s series premiere. The four-day track since Monday is: 11.314 million, 7.366 million, 7.274 million, 7.688 million. The 7.688 million for the Feb. 20 telecast is “Tonight’s” top total-viewer result for a Thursday telecast, excluding the Feb. 6 finale of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,”in nearly five years (since the March 19, 2009 appearance by President Barack Obama, 14.634 million).

Thursday’s telecast isup 92% versus “Tonight’s” season-to-date average in total viewers (7.688 million vs. 4.011 million, L+SD through Feb. 9). Note that “Tonight” has been delivering one of its strongest seasons in years and was up 15% season to date in total viewers through Feb. 9 (4.011 million vs. 3.473 million, “live plus same day”).

Despite its later start time, the Feb. 20 “Tonight Show” outperformed the combined results in total viewers of CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” (2.689 million) and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (2.412 million) by 51% (7.688 million vs. a combined 5.101 million). In adults 18-49, “Tonight’s” 2.6 rating nearly doubled the combined results of “Late Show” (0.7) and “Kimmel” (0.7).

Thursday’s “Tonight Show” featured First Lady Michelle Obama, Will Ferrell and musical guest Arcade Fire, while Friday’s guests are scheduled to include Justin Timberlake.

NOTE: All ratings are "live plus same day" from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise indicated.